US CENTCOM chief urged halt to Strait of Hormuz bombing, prompting Trump pause
Admiral Brad Cooper argued the two-week campaign had exhausted its targets and limited Iran’s ability to attack ships. Trump stopped strikes on Friday.
On Friday, July 24, President Donald Trump ordered a halt to US bombing around the Strait of Hormuz, following a recommendation from CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper that the campaign had reached its limits of effectiveness. It was the first time in two weeks that the president directed the military to stop strikes against Iranian targets along the southern Iranian coast and the Strait area. The pause followed two consecutive nights without US attacks, breaking a cycle of nightly bombardments and Iranian reprisal strikes against US allies across the region.
Cooper’s military assessment
Cooper submitted his assessment to the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs, and the White House earlier in the week. He argued that the two-week campaign had significantly degraded Iran’s capability to attack vessels in the Strait, and that the pre-designated target list had been largely exhausted. According to two sources cited by Axios, Cooper said there was no point continuing the bombing campaign unless the White House was prepared to escalate to a wider military operation. He noted that a next step could be a return to major combat operations to complete the destruction of the remaining 20% of targets that were assigned but not struck during the earlier US‑Israeli campaign, Operation Epic Fury. Without such a decision, he advised ending the current bombing.
- Approximate start of US bombing campaign against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz
- Admiral Brad Cooper submits recommendation to halt strikes to Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, and White House
- President Trump orders halt to strikes after meeting with advisers
- First consecutive night without US airstrikes on Iranian targets
- Second night without US attacks, pause holds
Trump’s reversal and advisors
Trump had appeared ready to resume large-scale operations earlier in the week but began to change course Thursday night, solidifying his decision to halt on Friday after a meeting with top advisers and military officials who presented a new attack plan for that day. Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine raised concerns about further escalation, according to CNN and The New York Times. Administration worries included the depletion of defence stocks, the risk of alienating Gulf allies, disruption of energy supplies, and damage to the global economy.
Diplomatic outreach continues
As the military pause took hold, Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff engaged in talks with the Iranian side, both directly and through mediators, Axios and Israeli Channel 12 reported. The combination of military restraint and diplomatic channels suggested a cooling moment, though the unresolved remaining targets left open the possibility of a return to confrontation.
